Vacuum for toxic substances

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ridgidvac

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 6, 2009
Messages
354
Can a Filter Queen be used 4 picking up lead & asbestos dust? I'm renovating an older house & don't think the Ridgid can handle these toxic dusts b/c they go thru the filters & the FQ (MUST use the MediPure filter) can get the stuff my shop vac can't.
 
ok

well the rigid would blow all those toxic particles in the air. My partner is a Environmental safety and health specialist he would cringe if he thought you were not wearing a respirator lol. Just be careful but do not use the rigid.
 
FQ

I think the FQ would work just fine. Just make sure you wear a mask when you empty it.....Bill in Az....
 
ASBESTOS??????

Call in proffesionals!!!

DO NOT USE ANY VACUUM.

Let fully trained proffessionals remove it from your house, Asbestos causes irreversible lung damage if not handled correctly, why take the risk yourself. At whatever monetary cost it is worth it to save your life!

No vacuum can safeguard you without suitable precautions regarding your own protection and the air around you.
 
WHOA! WHOA! WHOA!!!

Erik!

Robert/Turbomaster is right. Don't even TRY to deal with this.

I used to own a janitorial company. Trust me on this.

The materials you speak of are considered hazardous. Without the proper "HAZMAT" certifications, you could be in violation of legal statutes by attempting to handle and dispose of it. Moreover, the vac itself, having been used for the operation, would be defined as hazardous waste, and have to be disposed of in the same controlled fashion.

Don't do this.

Call professionals, indeed. And those professionals MUST be certified for asbestos and lead removal. Verify those credentials. They have the equipment, training, and containment procedures necessary for proper and complete removal.

They will also issue you a statement of the work, so if you decide to sell the place, you can state that these materials were removed. Otherwise, a building inspector for the potential buyer probably will hit the courthouse, find when the place was built, and make the assumption that these materials are in there somewhere. Without that paperwork from the professionals -- guess what -- you can't sell, and the potential buyers will flee like pigeons.

I could go on and on...but I must emphatically back up Robert on this one. Don't even try to do this.

John
 
then why did my sister say U can vacuum lead & asbestos dust with a FQ? She sells filterqueens since 1994 then I bought a Majestic LE for $2200 back in 1999 from her store & she claims FQ is 'NIOSH approved' but when it comes 2 empty the tank its a different story when the dust flies around. Filter Queen didn't say its NIOSH approved anywhere on their Website so I cant be sure if its OK but I'd leave it 2 the pros.
 
Why your sister said that?

I don't know....but I know this...

I can vacuum lead and asbestos with my Kirby's, my Hoovers, my Eureka's, my Lewyt...I can even vacuum lead and asbestos with my own lungs and a soda straw.

Should I be doing this is the question. And the answer is no. It's not just about sucking it all up into a container. It's also about displacement of the hazardous material via shoes, equipment, agitation of the air, etc., while doing the work.

Here in St. Louis, you'll sometimes come across an old building that looks like it's shrink wrapped. In actuality, it's being "tented" for control of hazardous material. Sometimes for extermination of vermin and insects, sometimes for containment and removal of asbestos, lead, uranium, etc. (Yes, uranium -- Malinkrodt Chemical did certain Manhattan Project work here in St. Louis as well as Weldon Springs, MO)

It's not just a matter of scraping it up and vacuuming it away. And like those demonstration vacuum tests -- some is always left behind. There are procedures, compounds and equipment to get this left behind hazard.

Like you said...."leave it 2 the pros."
 
long term exposure

is what you want to look out for. It takes years and years of exposure to get to the point of lung cancer or any other disease.
 
When asbestos anything is removed from a house here, like floor tiles, pipe insulation in the basement etc the rest of the house and that room has to be fully curtained in plastic, the workers have to wear waterproof plastic suits and breathing apparatus and there is a special shower thingy set up as they come out of the plastic wrapped rooom that sprays them down each and every time, even the water from the shower is considered hazardous and is taken to be disposed of at the hazardous materials facility.
 
I am with other Vacuumland folks on this-DON'T use ANY household type vacuum for cleaning up hazardous substances.Items such as Asbestos-and lead paints debris can have particles so small even home type vacuums cannot trap them.Nilfisk-Advance makes vacuums for these purposes.they are VERY expensive and ALL of the filters have to be replaced in between jobs for the vacuum to retain its "Hazmat" rating.The filters and vacuum bags have to be disposed of as "Hazmat" waste-for radioactive waste-the WHOLE vacuum and filters,bags have to be disposed of as Radiocative waste.Leave those jobs to the pros.I have dealt with the removal of asbestos in a building I was working in-the whole work areas have to be sealed-and a separate air system provided for the cleaned area-that way you don't spread the materials and contaminate the building HVAC systems.And the ductworks in the affected area was removed too.
 

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